Images

In March 2014, we volunteered to photo document the SR 530 landslide disaster response effort in Oso, Washington.

We spent 6-days on the frontlines of the slide, 6-days that felt like 6-years. Here, in our own backyard, as in the rest of the country, we experienced humanity at its very best, amid some of the worst circumstances imaginable.

In Oso we saw world-class crisis leadership practiced at its finest. We witnessed the unwavering courage of rescue canines and the self-sacrificing bravery of local volunteers. We ventured through the mudslide debris pile, a thick, primordial soup of mud, shattered homes, uprooted trees, leaking propane tanks and managled vehicles in search of missing people and pets. We stood quietly at attention and watched a grandfather identify the remains his 4-month old grandchild; a moment forever seared into our collective memories.

SEATTLE MAYOR ED MURRAY PROCLAIMS GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE AND REMEMBRANCE DAY

Tuesday, March 11, 2014, marked the third anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that hit the Tōhoku-Oki region of Japan, resulting in one of the deadliest and most destructive disasters in the country’s history. The environmental, social, and economic impacts of this historic catastrophe will be felt for decades.

KING 5 television news anchor Lori Matsukawa and Seattle’s Moontown Foundation teamed up to host a special event showcasing the creative works of three critically acclaimed Pacific Northwest artists,using the power of film, music, and social media to commemorate the ongoing crisis and celebrate the resiliency of the Japanese people.

“It’s been three years since the triple tragedy of the earthquake, tsunami, and the meltdown at Fukushima, yet the crisis is not over. In some ways, we’re in the early stages of the recovery process, a process that could conceivably take a century to mitigate,” said Stacy Noland, Founder and CEO of the Moontown Foundation.

“The city of Seattle and the state of Washington have been economic trade and cultural exchange partners for more than 150 years. Our state has 35 sister cities with Japan, one sister county, and we are a sister state to Hyogo. It’s important that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the great nation of Japan as it works to rebuild in the wake of one of the deadliest and most destructive disasters in its history,” Noland continued.

“Japan has made great progress towards revitalization over the last three years, both physically and in spirit, and the assistance from residents, business, NGOs, and schools have been noteworthy,” said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, who has issued a proclamation commemorating the tragedy and invited Masahiro Omura, the Consul General of Japan, to receive that proclamation on behalf of the Japanese people.

“The City of Seattle honors the victims and all those impacted by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster,” proclaimed Murray.